Final DOT hearing draws crowd; zone decision expected in January.

Final DOT hearing draws crowd; zone decision expected in January.

SOUTH BEND - And now we wait. A U.S. Department of Transportation hearing on Monday at Indiana University South Bend provided the penultimate moment in the long countdown to determining which time zone Indiana and its various counties should be in. Monday's public hearing, the fourth and last held by the DOT, was intended to gauge public opinion on the always controversial time zone issue. The hearing drew a crowd of about 300 people, most eager to provide their opinions about which time zone is best for counties in north central Indiana. One prevailing sentiment was expressed by many who stepped to the microphone: St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall and Kosciusko counties should be in the same time zone. As things now stand, St. Joseph County has filed a petition with the DOT to move the county into the Central time zone. Elkhart County officials have decided to stay with the majority of Indiana in the Eastern time zone. Governmental officials in the two counties, most of them eager to see the other county change its stance, showed no signs of budging. All acknowledged the strong economic ties that link the two counties. St. Joseph County Commissioner Steve Ross, D-District 1, urged the DOT not to remove St. Joseph County from a commercial corridor he says extends from South Bend through Chicago to Kenosha, Wis. "If you remove us from that, you are basically isolating us from the area we do business with," Ross said. Elkhart County Commissioner Terry Rodino explained that Elkhart County officials chose to go along with Eastern time and not petition the DOT for a switch to Central. "When we heard St. Joseph County was doing it, we were very surprised," he said. A survey conducted by the Michiana Area Council of Governments clearly indicated the economic benefits of this region being in the Eastern time zone, he said. "Unfortunately, the St. Joseph County commissioners chose to ignore the evidence," he said. The hearing drew speakers from as far away as Marcellus, Chesterton and Fort Wayne. Rob Bartels, president of Martin's Super Markets, said 20 percent of his work force will be impacted if the region is split into two time zones. Making deliveries across a patchwork of counties in different time zones would be extremely difficult, he said. John Parsons, a representative for the South Shore Railroad, urged approving the St. Joseph County request to switch to Central time. South Bend is the leading growth area for the railroad and having the entire line in Central time would benefit the economy, he said. Jane Ralser, of Granger, said her marketing and business consulting firm has a majority of customers on the West Coast. "We fairly cut off our ability to grow in the western part of the U.S. if we are three hours ahead instead of two," she said. Some speakers urged that Central time prevail so there will be more daylight in the mornings to enhance safety of children walking to school or waiting for school buses. Others said Eastern time would provide more light in the evening and thus more quality recreational time for families. Governmental officials from Fulton and Marshall counties, which both petitioned for a switch to Central but so far have been denied, urged the DOT to reconsider and allow them to switch. The DOT will make a decision in January, said Judy Kaleta, DOT's senior counsel for dispute resolution, who ran the hearing. Changes to Indiana's time zone boundary, if any, will take effect when the nation switches to daylight- saving time on April 2. For more than 30 years, since Eastern Standard was declared the approved time for Indiana, daylight-saving time went unobserved as Hoosiers learned to ebb and flow with their differently zoned neighbors. Pushed by new Gov. Mitch Daniels, the Indiana General Assembly agreed this year to add Indiana to the list of states that observe daylight-saving time. The legislation and the governor basically left the decision as to which time zone the state should be in up to the DOT, which responded by letting individual counties decide for themselves by filing petitions. As a result of those petitions, St. Joseph and Starke counties received a DOT recommendation that they move to Central time. Elkhart and Kosciusko didn't file petitions, choosing to stay with Eastern time. And now, we wait. And look at our watches once in awhile. Staff writer James Wensits: jwensits@sbtinfo.com, (574) 235-6353.